My online stories
For a while now I've been intrigued by the stories behind the Instagram feeds of the many women (and the occasional man) within the Instagram community I belong to.
Many of these women have beautiful feeds that takes time, creativity and perseverance. So, what makes them start an Instagram account in the first place? Why do they put so much time and effort into their feed? How have their lives changed because of it? And what opportunities have come out of it that they hadn't anticipated?
If you follow me on Instagram, and if you've been following me for some time, you might have noticed a bit of a change in my feed. My photographs have become slightly darker and there is an obvious brown colour scheme running through it.
This isn't as a consequence of me trying harder. In fact, it's me trying less.
It's also as a consequence of experimenting and trying different things over the course of two years. If you'd told me a year ago I would've loved an Instagram feed of mainly brown I would have laughed in your face.
As I start to write this on the morning of Tuesday 14th November 2017 the fall-out from Zoella's advent calendar is ongoing. In fact, it's pretty much taken on a life of its own.
If you haven't heard about all the drama essentially Zoella's lifestyle range has released a luxury advent calendar, a twelve days of Christmas one - so with 12 doors - and the contents are, well, not very expensive. For example you have some sparkly confetti behind one door, a small candle behind another, seven stickers in one and a small cookie cutter behind another. And for twelve gifts like this you pay £50.
Walking out the back door with my wellies on I wondered how much exercise the ducks would make me do tonight. You see, every evening me and the ducks have this little 'exercise' routine. I try and get the ducks into their run. They, in turn, will run and flap about everywhere but into their run.
Hatched earlier this year to a chicken, Wincey, it used to be easy to get them in to bed at night - because they just followed their mum. Chickens are sensible. They know what to do just before dusk settles over the landscape. Before the beasties start prowling about, looking for prey.
But the ducks? They would run into the foxes mouth sooner than coming towards me.
Walk into a book shop and you'll find an overwhelming amount of books available for children. So if you're looking for books for a child's birthday or Christmas present this year then let my daughter recommend some books to help you in your decision making. As she is a keen reader and writer, I've set her a task to regulalrly read and review children's books for this blog.
I'm sipping coffee whilst staring out the window. I'm scrolling through social media, from Instagram to Twitter, to Feedly, to YouTube, to Pinterest even to the dreaded Facebook.
Not many people online. Probably all working. Or writing. Damnit.
I should be writing. I've just read through a rough outline of my novel. I got excited. I got more ideas. I started to think about writing it.
But I don't pull out my notepad or the rest of my notes. Oh no.
I just carry on scrolling.
And now...I'm writing this.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Well, October, probably my favourite month, and the beginning of my favourite season, is now coming to a close. I've had a birthday, we've settled into the school routine, and the woodburner is being lit most nights as I snuggle up on the settee with a blanket, soft cushions and a good book.
Outside the leaves are crispy, it's been a dry month here, and the sound of contented chickens scratching about in them is utterly charming.
Yesterday we had our first proper frost. I've been using slip-on plastic shoes for the past month with bare feet as I did my chicken and duck chores but have now decided it's time for something more substantial to pull easily onto my feet. Which brings me to my first favourite of the month:
Right now I am obsessed with creating mini-films for Instagram Stories. If you follow me on Instagram and watch my stories, or if you've read this post and this one, you'll already know this.
I am often found with my iPhone in my hand ready to record little moments lasting a mere few seconds in order to weave them into a story on my computer later that day.
But, I also like to watch Instagram Stories, too. One of my favurites is Fiona Annal who also has one of my favourite feeds, Fiona lives in the Orkney Islands and her stories are a rich narrative of life there, I also love Circle of Pines Stories. Laura features her trips out and where she's going and what she's reading. There's a lot of give in their stories. They're comforting and full of warmth.
Last week Glamour announced that it was no longer producing a monthly magazine. Like other magazines who are but a distant memory the end had come.
And it's sad. Sad for the readers, sad for the staff, and sad for those also involved behind the scenes in getting the magazine from computer to hard copy into the homes of the readers.
As a writer myself who has always hoped to write for magazines (that's my 'one day' wish along with being a published author) it could be seen as a kick in the teeth and make me wail about the way content writing is going.
And I guess I would - if it wasn't for the fact that sitting next to me on my desk are three very lovely magazines I've bought just in this last fortnight alone.
My head is like the today's sky which was smothered with an eerie Sahara sand. Casting a strange sepia light onto the earth below. I want to write, I see glimmers of the red sun, and clear skies in the distance, but however long I drive I can't quite reach them.
I took last week off. And half of the week before. And when I say off I mean off writing, off blogging. At first I tried other creative pursuits. I recorded film, I made my Instagram Stories mini-films, I read magazines, listened to podcasts.
